Wendt assumed command of Sector Lower Mississippi River in June 2014, and will become the chief, response division, at the Coast Guard’s 9th District in Cleveland, Ohio.

During Wendt’s three-year command, he served as captain of the port, federal maritime security coordinator, federal on-scene coordinator, officer-in-charge of marine inspection, and search and rescue mission coordinator. Notably, he served as incident commander during an eight-week salvage operation that occurred during historic high water in December 2015. His leadership mitigated the environmental and economic impacts to the marine transportation system.

Tamez reported to Sector Lower Mississippi River from Coast Guard Sector Key West, Fla., where she served as the deputy sector commander. She took command of Sector Lower Mississippi River where nearly 250 Coast Guard men and women from eight locations and aboard six cutters are completing Coast Guard missions across six states and 2,200 miles of rivers.

Tamez earned a Bachelor of Science degree in History/Government from the University of Houston. Her operational tours in the Coast Guard include: response department head at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., personnel allowance team lead at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC, sector field office supervisor in East Moriches, N.Y., information systems command (TISCOM) in Alexandria, VA, law enforcement duty officer liaison at the Greater Antilles Section in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the assistant operations officer at Group Milwaukee, Wis., and assistant to the gender policy advisor at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC.

The change of command is a time-honored tradition deeply rooted in Coast Guard and Naval history. It represents a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.